Searchers comb forest for Japanese boy punished by parents

(Reuters) - Searchers in northern Japan spent a third day on Monday looking for a seven-year-old Japanese boy who went missing after his parents left him in a forest to teach him some discipline.

People search for a seven-year-old boy who went missing two days earlier, in Nanae town on the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido, Japan, in this photo taken by May 30, 2016. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

At least 130 firefighters and police officers were scouring the woods near Nanae town in Hokkaido, looking for Yamato Tanooka, media reported.

Tanooka’s parents initially told police they were picking wild plants when Yamato went missing on Saturday.

People riding horses search for a seven-year-old boy who went missing two days earlier, in Nanae town on the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido, Japan, in this photo taken by May 30, 2016. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

However, they later admitted to police they had intentionally left the boy in the forest to discipline him after he threw rocks at people and cars earlier in the day, Japanese television stations reported.

Tanooka’s parents said they drove about 500 meters (yards) away and when they returned shortly after they couldn’t find their son, who was last seen in a t-shirt and jeans.

Media reported that overnight temperatures in the forest have dropped to 7 degrees Celsius (45°F).